food

Chocolate Orange Cake

Chocolate Orange Cake

I’ve never had Chocolate Orange cake before. In fact I don’t think I’ve even seen one on offer anywhere and I have no idea why not! Chocolate and orange are a well-established hit-combination so why not a Chocolate Orange cake? So I decided to experiment and invent one. The sponge is a basic Victoria Sponge(…)

A Really Special Blackberry and Apple Crumble

A Really Special Blackberry and Apple Crumble

There are a couple of reasons why this was a very special pudding. Partly because we went out early in the morning to forage for fresh blackberries, and partly because the crumble topping in this recipe is something VERY special – it must be the addition of ground almonds and cinnamon, but it’s light and(…)

Saturday Baking: Banana Pecan Bread

Saturday Baking: Banana Pecan Bread

There’s nothing quite like the aroma of freshly baked Banana bread and fresh coffee to make your house smell amazing, and it’s also very tasty to enjoy afterwards!  This recipe is an adapted version from Nigella’s Banana Bread. Make sure you leave it in the tin until it’s completely cold otherwise it’ll break up as(…)

Saturday Baking: Coconut Jam Sandwich Cakes

Saturday Baking: Coconut Jam Sandwich Cakes

You know when you fancy trying something just a little bit different? We seem to be going through cake like nobody’s business now that the school holidays have started so I thought I’d try these Coconut Jam Sandwich Bars. When I saw the picture (and thought ‘mmmmm’) I didn’t realise there would be *quite so(…)

Old Fashioned Cherry Cake

Old Fashioned Cherry Cake

I’ve been eating cherries like they’re going out of style this week, so what could be more appropriate than baking an old-fashioned English cherry cake for the weekend? I’m not sure that glacé cherries really count as one of your five-a-day, but it’s a lovely piece of cake to have with your morning coffee and the(…)

Saturday Baking: My Crush on Nigel Slater Continues…

Saturday Baking: My Crush on Nigel Slater Continues…

As you might have noticed from last week’s delicious lemon and thyme cake, I’ve currently got a massive chef-crush on Nigel Slater*. This week I was looking to use up brown bananas *again*. I don’t know why I bother buying bananas they never get eaten! Anyway, this looked like something a little different to try(…)

Saturday Baking: Nigel Slater’s Thyme & Lemon Cake

Saturday Baking: Nigel Slater’s Thyme & Lemon Cake

Bear with me, I know the idea of thyme in a lemon cake might seem strange but it adds something truly special to it. I took this recipe from Nigel Slater’s The Kitchen Diaries II, which I can’t recommend highly enough. I love the way he delights in simple good-quality ingredients and makes thoughtful unfussy(…)

Sunday Baking: Deluxe (and Easy) Carrot Cake Traybake

Sunday Baking: Deluxe (and Easy) Carrot Cake Traybake

Fancy something delicious for the weekend? How about this? It’s moist, tasty and fabulous, and there’s nothing like the combination of carrot cake with buttercream and a splodge of whipped cream too. I can’t recommend this cake highly enough – hope you like it too! x Ingredients: 175g/6oz golden caster sugar 175ml/6fl oz olive oil(…)

Vintage teatime: Oeufs En Cocotte

Vintage teatime: Oeufs En Cocotte

There’s something very comforting about eating eggs for supper. Perhaps it’s just me, but it reminds me of weekends in my childhood when we’d had our main meal at lunchtime and we had something little and treaty for tea, whether it was hot buttered toast, salmon sandwiches (the salmon from a tin of course), or(…)

The Macaroon: cute flowergirl or lumpy teen bridesmaid?

The Macaroon: cute flowergirl or lumpy teen bridesmaid?

If meringues are the showstopping bride of the dessert trolly, then macaroons are her cute pastel coloured flowergirls. Or at least they’re supposed to be. Instead of being cute 6-year olds in pastel dresses my macaroons turned out more like *that* teenage cousin you feel obliged to have as a bridesmaid (you know the one,(…)

Something even better than strawberries & cream in Wimbledon week

Something even better than strawberries & cream in Wimbledon week

What’s better than eating sweet English strawberries whilst watching Wimbledon? Eating chocolate-dipped English strawberries, that’s what! With the addition of some Choco-Leibnitz biscuits if you’re feeling particularly piggy! I don’t really need to give you a recipe for chocolate dipped strawberries, it’s all very simple (just strawberries and melted chocolate). However  it IS possible to(…)

My vintage kitchen: French meringues

My vintage kitchen: French meringues

I love cooking. Especially on a Sunday when there’s no rushing around to do and the family sits around relaxing and enjoying the smell of a Sunday roast cooking in the oven. The part I really love though is the pudding. I only make puddings on a Sunday, so it always feels extra special, and(…)